Getting Worse Before It Gets Better

The die has been well and truly cast here for some time: the GOP is
irrevocably committed to the undiluted Fox/Limbaugh/Drudge party line,
and there's no going back. They're either going to stand or fall on
that. So I say: let 'em do it. No excuses, no scapegoats. Finish up the Texification of the Republican Party and see how it goes. Only then is there any hope of a return to common sense.

In the short-term, [the Castle loss will] be good news for
progressive politics but as I said yesterday
I don’t think that kind of narrowly partisan thinking gets you very far
in the long run. Ultimately, the two-party system operates near
equilibrium, and so the internal state of both parties counts. It’s
better for progressives and better for the country for Republicans to
field strong, reasonable candidates.

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